Black Belts: How do you decide what to teach?

[McClure]

I'm a black belt under Helio Soneca Moreira and I'm curious how other instructors decide on their weekly, monthly lesson plan.

Typically I'll teach a concept - like a rolling back take, and over the course of a week or two's classes I'll detail drills, concepts, setups, entries etc all using the same idea just applied across a broad spectrum.

Also, if I notice no one's using butterfly much, or single x etc then I'll work a week or two worth into the rotation.

Otherwise I just teach what I'm interested in at the moment or what I think my students need or might be lacking.

How about you other black belts?

 

[j123]

I'm a black belt under Helio Soneca Moreira and I'm curious how other instructors decide on their weekly, monthly lesson plan.

Typically I'll teach a concept - like a rolling back take, and over the course of a week or two's classes I'll detail drills, concepts, setups, entries etc all using the same idea just applied across a broad spectrum.

Also, if I notice no one's using butterfly much, or single x etc then I'll work a week or two worth into the rotation.

Otherwise I just teach what I'm interested in at the moment or what I think my students need or might be lacking.

How about you other black belts?

I'm not a black belt, but as a competitor (Moo Thigh) when I teach, I teach the absolute basics, especially when the class is green. Advanced techniques are nice, but new guys need to know basic, simple fundamentals because come fight time, adrenaline and nerves wipes everything away and only the most simple easy methods remain. Really something as simple as a 1,2. Pressing forward, retaliating ASAP is what they win. So in grappling, maintaining top position, basic sweep/escape in each basic position will save them.

My coach prior to competing had about 50 techniques, as soon as he fought that 50 dropped to 5.

Now, if you happen to be at an academy where everyone's a competitive purple+, then sure advanced stuff could be fine, til then, core basics should be the bulk of the program.

 

[Was at Pride GP 2000]

What do you do for new students?

 

[lechien]

For fundamentals, I split the year into 2 semesters.

Each semester is 24 weeks or so.

I have a 12 weeks 0rogram that repeat twice during a,semester.

So the 12 week program is something like that.

One topic o'er week

Mount
Back
Side control
Knee on the belly
North south
Guard sub's
Guard pass
Guard sweeps
Top 1/2 guard
Bottom 1/2 guard
Turtle
Questions and answers.

 

[Coconutwater]

For fundamentals, I split the year into 2 semesters.

Each semester is 24 weeks or so.

I have a 12 weeks 0rogram that repeat twice during a,semester.

So the 12 week program is something like that.

One topic o'er week

Mount
Back
Side control
Knee on the belly
North south
Guard sub's
Guard pass
Guard sweeps
Top 1/2 guard
Bottom 1/2 guard
Turtle
Questions and answers.

Props, so many instructors lack even a basic curriculum.

 

[MaxMMA]

Brown belt here, but I've been working as a paid instructor since purple. I start the week 3 "base techniques" 1 standing technique and 2 ground techniques, usually from the same position. As the week goes on I observe how everyone is doing with the weekly base techniques and if they are becoming efficient at them then I give them additional techniques to chain off and/or counters to the original 3.

Depending of the size of the class, the people the show up for class, and how motivated/unmotivated everyone is, we sometimes drill dozens of techniques in a single week, and sometimes we drill only those 3 all week.

This works well because even if we progress way beyond the original 3 techniques, our chain of moves will still start with the original 3. So if people pop in at the middle/end of the week everyone in the class can usually get that person up to speed on the original base techniques without me having to stop the whole class to catch the stragglers up. Also if the progression of techniques is to advanced for particular students I can always instruct them to revert back a few moves, or revert back to drilling the base techniques for that week.

 

[Uchi Mata]

I'm a black belt under Helio Soneca Moreira and I'm curious how other instructors decide on their weekly, monthly lesson plan.

Typically I'll teach a concept - like a rolling back take, and over the course of a week or two's classes I'll detail drills, concepts, setups, entries etc all using the same idea just applied across a broad spectrum.

Also, if I notice no one's using butterfly much, or single x etc then I'll work a week or two worth into the rotation.

Otherwise I just teach what I'm interested in at the moment or what I think my students need or might be lacking.

How about you other black belts?

My school follows a curriculum, though it's more a positional curriculum than a 'you must practice these 5 moves in this order' curriculum (at least for advanced students. The novice curriculum is very strict). It's helpful because it makes sure that over the course of the year you don't spend too much time on any one position and too little on other positions. There's also competition training which is much more individualized/open to practicing whatever you want in a given position. I really hate move of the day teaching (no offense) because I feel like it makes learning very haphazard and can easily leave holes in students' learning. You can do it with a very small, advanced student body where you can watch what they're doing and tailor the instruction to them (when you're acting more like a boxing trainer than a class teacher), but I feel like it breaks down as a method for teaching larger groups. Especially large groups of novices.

 

[EGDM]

I'm only a non-teaching brown belt, but in my previous TMA life I taught for the better part of ten years. A relatively static, rotating curriculum is amazingly boring for the instructor (at least it was for me), but is light-years more effective than "technique of the week" for novice and intermediate students. Leichen's structure of the 12-week curriculum loop is very close to what we used. Consistency makes the most difference, as the students will use the repetition through each cycle as anchor points in what seems to them like a firehose of technique.

Advanced classes (purple+) can certainly benefit from a more "top of mind" approach provided that your gym culture and schedule encourage everyone to keep attending the fundamental classes.

 

[Shizzx]

Brown belt... my teacher will sometimes have something in mind. ( really never knew how he came up with it) but some days he drops it on us and we have to come up with something to teach at that moment. I tend to go on simple stuff that i use in competition and they are basic but effective. some adjustments that are different than others and some concepts that may be missed that i picked up over the years... But it really what i feel some folks are lacking that i seen.

 

[jack36767]

I'm only a non-teaching brown belt, but in my previous TMA life I taught for the better part of ten years. A relatively static, rotating curriculum is amazingly boring for the instructor (at least it was for me), but is light-years more effective than "technique of the week" for novice and intermediate students. Leichen's structure of the 12-week curriculum loop is very close to what we used. Consistency makes the most difference, as the students will use the repetition through each cycle as anchor points in what seems to them like a firehose of technique.

Advanced classes (purple+) can certainly benefit from a more "top of mind" approach provided that your gym culture and schedule encourage everyone to keep attending the fundamental classes.

Why should it be boring to teach? I love learning how to better teach the basics

 

[jack36767]

Props, so many instructors lack even a basic curriculum.

This topic caused a shitstorm awhile back. But some good discussion was had

 

[EGDM]

Why should it be boring to teach? I love learning how to better teach the basics

I find saying the same things over and over excruciatingly boring. I'd much rather go down more advanced/conceptual rabbit holes, but that generally isn't useful for newer students.

I freely admit I'm not a very good teacher for beginners. YMMV.

 

[lechien]

This a write up I did a while if anyone is interested on how to decide which teaching program might suit you and your club.

http://www.aucklandbjj.com/2014/02/bjj-teaching-philosophy.html?m=1

 

[lechien]

Props, so many instructors lack even a basic curriculum.

Thanks.

I made it myself. ..

My old instructor was disorganised.

Never had a teaching structure from my old school.

There is no prefect teaching structure.


But one thing structure is better than nothing.

My advanced program is guard centric with a rotation of 12 guards or so.

All my classes topic are written in advance and there are on the website for anyone to read them 6 months at a time.

I don't hide anything and I feel it is great way to run a school.

You can also find our membership's fees on our website...nothing to hide.

Too many instructors just turns up to teach something random...I don't thing it is very professional.

 

[Coconutwater]

This topic caused a shitstorm awhile back. But some good discussion was had

Yeah, I can’t stand “Techniques of the week” approach.

Nothing has to be written down but the moves at each belt and degree should be somewhat memorized or easily recalled with strong basic objectives for each belt level.

 

[Coconutwater]

I find saying the same things over and over excruciatingly boring. I'd much rather go down more advanced/conceptual rabbit holes, but that generally isn't useful for newer students.

I freely admit I'm not a very good teacher for beginners. YMMV.

At least you KNOW your personal tendencies. Most teachers assume they’re doing a good job.

 

[lechien]

I find saying the same things over and over excruciatingly boring. I'd much rather go down more advanced/conceptual rabbit holes, but that generally isn't useful for newer students.

I freely admit I'm not a very good teacher for beginners. YMMV.

Yeah. I get the same feeling sometimes.

we share the teaching so I do one advanced and 2 fundamental in one week.

So I don't get bored too much.

 

[jack36767]

I find saying the same things over and over excruciatingly boring. I'd much rather go down more advanced/conceptual rabbit holes, but that generally isn't useful for newer students.

I freely admit I'm not a very good teacher for beginners. YMMV.

I promise you it will help your teaching of advanced to have to break it down for unathletic begginers. And learning how to do it is a lifesaver for where I coach now with mostly first year kids

 

[mantis_fist]

I think one thing these classes are missing is the standup. It's always teaching the ground technique, but once tournament starts you're fucked. Everybody starts standing up. Unless of course you have a wrestling background or you did some side training.

 

[EGDM]

I promise you it will help your teaching of advanced to have to break it down for unathletic begginers. And learning how to do it is a lifesaver for where I coach now with mostly first year kids

I did it for ten years. I fully agree that teaching clarifies things for the teacher in a unique way, and that knowing HOW to present material to new students is something everyone should learn. I did fine job of it, but as I've said it was a chore I didn't enjoy and I'd certainly be a better introductory teacher if I were more inspired. Teaching other people's kids full-time is my idea of hell.

(Yes, I've taught kids classes and yes, I have kids of my own.)